


Separate Ways

by SupercityCarnival



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, I need these two, WonderCat, mentions of past relationship, mentions of supercat, supercat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-31
Updated: 2017-05-31
Packaged: 2018-11-07 10:54:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11057466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SupercityCarnival/pseuds/SupercityCarnival
Summary: This is a little scene that takes place just before we are graced with Cat Grant re-entering our lives.A little background on my take on Cat and Olivia's relationship. Definitely more to follow, because... reasons.





	Separate Ways

**Author's Note:**

> Wrote this quickly as always. Please excuse typos and errors.

The Oval Office was busy today. It was busy every day. After all, it was the most powerful room in the world. However, today people bustled around President Olivia Marsdin at a more frantic pace than usual. 

She had just announced that she was taking Air Force One to National City, flying the most secure aircraft on planet Earth into the belly of the beast. Her advisors, as well as cabinet members, were making their best arguments to convince her against it. 

She stood behind her desk, arms crossed over her chest, face unreadable. Olivia was listening, she just happened to disagree with everything they were saying. She was the leader of the free world, and she'd be damned if the remnant of Daxam was going to threaten this world, her world. If Olivia was the one that needed to lead the charge against them, so be it. She was prepared for whatever the outcome may be.

The more the people around her talked, the more set Olivia was on her decision. She blinked, her usual steely demeanor breaking. Taking a breath in, Olivia made a quick and unexpected move, slamming her hand down on top of the large, oak desk. 

“Enough!” She said, loud and determined. Everyone stopped their talking instantly, and the Secret Service agents in the room tensed at the shout, their full attention on the President. “I will not be intimidated by these thugs. We will not allow them to gain an inch of U.S. ground, and when we are finished with them, they will either retreat, or die.” Olivia's voice was strong and echoed through the room. “Is that understood?” 

Quiet lingered until her senior advisor said, “Madame President, we're not disagreeing with your stance, but there's no reason for you to confront them your-,”

“Stop.” Olivia held up a hand. “There is every reason for me to confront them myself.” She glanced to her head of security. “Make a plan fast. We're heading to Air Force One in ten minutes.” 

A dozen sets of eyes looked back and forth at one another. They knew that tone. The President wasn't going to budge. The bustling began again, but this time, it wasn't directed at Olivia. Her staff set about arranging things for the impromptu trip across the country. 

Just as Olivia was beginning to relax and focus her mind on the Daxamites, another commotion was erupting just outside her office. 

“Ma'am, you can't go in there!” One of Olivia's staff members was talking loudly after an intruder. “Ma'am!”

The Secret Service agents heard the raised voice and began to move strategically. Two of them, flanking the door while another put himself between the door and the President as the staff member continued to give warning. “Ma'am, you're not allowed in there!”

Olivia peeked over the agent's shoulder and heard a woman's voice confidently respond, “Like hell I'm not.” Olivia grinned immediately, recognizing the voice.

She watched the small and unstoppable force that was Cat Grant march through the open door. The agents had their hands on their service weapons, ready to draw. Everyone in the room stopped and the tension rose. 

Cat looked around casually until she spotted Olivia, hidden behind the Secret Service agent. The two women exchanged a warm smile before Cat's faded and she announced, “I need your plane.” 

Olivia stepped out from behind her protector. “Gentlemen, you can relax.” The agents withdrew the hands on their weapons. 

Olivia made her way up to Cat. They held each other's gaze as the taller woman took slow steps to come stand in front of the shorter. “Madame President,” Cat greeted. 

“Cat,” Olivia responded, quietly. Suddenly, all the tension of her current situation left Olivia. Cat had always had that effect, even if she hadn't seen her in years. But what was she doing here, now, asking for Air Force One? The question only flitted through Olivia's mind. She didn't really care why. “You're in luck. I'm about to take an unscheduled flight to your neck of the woods.” 

Cat's half smile left and was replaced with surprise, her lips parting as she understood Olivia's intentions. “That's insane,” Cat said, vehemently. 

“Thank you!” Olivia's senior advisor said, sharply. 

Both women turned to look at him with furrowed brows, not appreciating the interruption. “Everyone out,” Olivia demanded. 

“Ma'am,” the advisor tried one last time to talk her out of her rash decision, but Olivia shot him a glare, stuffing his last ditch effort. He left with the rest of them. 

The Secret Service agents were the last to go, quietly closing the slightly concave door on their way out. 

When they were alone, the two women smiled again, Cat quickly reaching to put her arms around Olivia. Olivia easily returned the hug. Even though she was taller, she was accustomed to hugs from this particular small person. She tucked her chin into the crook of Cat's neck and closed her eyes. Surprised that the usually stoic Cat Grant was holding her so tightly, Olivia took the opportunity to hold her equally as tight. She fanned her fingers over Cat's back, pulling her in. They hadn't hugged like this in a long time. 

They separated and Olivia said, “It's good to see you, Cat.” 

“You, too.” 

Olivia turned to come back around her desk and grab her phone. She knew she would have several alerts after her hasty announcement only an hour ago. Despite the urgency surrounding them, Olivia casually asked, “So how was Bhutan?” 

“Cold,” Cat answered, hands on her hips. “You can't go to National City.” 

“Yes, I can,” Olivia answered, glancing at her phone. 

“No,” Cat stalked up to her and snatched the phone from her hand. “You can't.”

Pursing her lips and breathing out, Olivia asked, “Why do you need my plane?” She lifted a hand to her own hip, mirroring Cat's authoritative stance. 

Cat hesitated, looking away for second. “I need to get to National City,” she said quietly, realizing how hypocritical it sounded. 

Olivia snorted out a laugh at the irony. “You're welcome to hitch a ride.” 

Nodding vigorously, Cat asked, “When do we leave?” 

Olivia could see how anxious her friend was to get home. “Right now.”

********************

Only twenty minutes later, Cat and Olivia were in one of the offices aboard Air Force One. Olivia was talking with her military advisors on what action should be taken once they made contact with the alien ship. 

She listened carefully to them, though she kept stealing glances toward one of the modified easy chairs. Cat was sitting there with a conflicted look on her face. 

“Give us a few minutes,” Olivia said, cutting off the staff members. 

“Ma'am, there's no time to lose on this,” one of them retorted. 

Olivia pursed her lips. They were right. She was distracted. She rarely saw Cat and, when she did, it was always difficult to focus on anything else. 

“Talk to the others. Come up with some options and bring them back to me.” 

They nodded and left the room, closing the door and leaving the two women alone. Olivia came to sit in the adjacent chair, ignoring the custom seat belts in the specially designed seats. 

She watched Cat. Unlike herself, who was unable to look at anything but the person beside her, Cat's mind was clearly somewhere else. 

“You've been staring at your phone since we got in the car to drive here,” Olivia said. 

Cat took a breath and finally looked up to her friend. After a moment, a small half smile appeared on her lips. Leaning back in the chair, Cat set her phone down. 

“I'm trying to decide whether or not to tell someone I'm coming back,” Cat told her. 

“Hmm,” Olivia hummed. 

“She probably doesn't care as much as I think she does,” Cat glanced away, seeming unsure. It was a rare fumble for Cat. Giving away an insecurity was something the media mogul only allowed with certain people. 

“You know, there's an alien race threatening to take over the world, starting with National City,” Olivia stated, bluntly. “You're not the least bit phased.” 

Looking back to her friend, Cat confidently declared, “Supergirl will take care of that. Mark my words.” 

“Ah, yes, your protege.” Olivia smirked. 

Narrowing her eyes slightly, Cat responded, “Supergirl is her own person. I was only there to… encourage her, when she needed it.” 

“I know you better than that, Cat.” Olivia thought back to when Cat was first starting in journalism, back at the planet. That was before Cat had money and power and she was simply eager to help and to tell the truth. “You invest your money in corporations and stock portfolios, but you only invest your time in people you care about. You don't waste a minute on anyone you even remotely think won't measure up.” 

Cat held Olivia's gaze, her expression softening. “I always had time to invest in you.” 

“You did,” Olivia said, fondly. 

Not many friendships survive the heartache of a breakup. Especially a breakup that neither party wanted. Olivia would have given up any dream, any ambition, for Catherine Jane Grant. When Cat had told her she was moving to the west coast to pursue more than a gossip column, Olivia knew that if she stayed with Cat, her own rising political career would be over. 

So she told Cat it was over. It was the hardest thing she ever did. She told herself it was for the best. After all, how long could she have gone on withholding her deepest secret from a lover? Cat was smart. She would have discovered Olivia's true form. But now, hearing the tone in her voice when she mentioned another alien, Olivia realized she never had anything to fear from Cat. 

Olivia broke the quiet that had settled. “So,” she asked, “how is Supergirl going to get us out of this one?”

Cat confessed, “I have no idea. But, I know that she always finds a way. There's nothing that girl can't do.” 

Olivia narrowed her eyes in thought. There was something in Cat's voice, something knowing, like a secret. Olivia gasped. “You know who she is.” Cat opened her mouth to protest, but Olivia said, “Don't deny it.” 

Acquiescing, Cat slumped her shoulders. “Fine, I know who she is.” Cat waved her hand dismissively.

“She's the one you can't decide whether or not to contact.” Olivia shook her head slowly. “You have a thing for the Girl of Steel.”

“That's ridiculous, Liv,” Cat defended herself. “Supergirl and I are friends.” 

“Uh huh, just like you and I were friends at Radcliff,” Oliva shot back. 

Cat couldn't help but smile at that. “Nothing is like you and I were at Radcliff,” she said, softly.

Olivia felt the same way. She knew there was something special about Cat the moment they met. She had a cheery smile the day she moved into Olivia's dorm and onto her floor. Cat was adorable, hauling boxes down the hallway with her father, blond hair turning with her head. 

Everyone was instantly attracted to Catherine Grant. Cat was more than charismatic and debonair, she was magnetic. Men, women, everyone wanted to be with Cat. But Cat only wanted to be with Olivia. Being with Cat filled a dark void inside Olivia, and gave her the strength to conquer anything. 

After they broke up, they stayed in touch. There was an understanding between them. They wanted different things and, no matter how much they might want each other, the careers they were pursuing seemed to take precedence. Not to mention the hard line that existed between politics and the media. They told themselves their jobs would make a real relationship impossible anyway.

That didn't stop them from seeing each other when circumstances allowed. The first time Olivia was running for public office was shortly after Cat moved away. Cat realized she was still registered to vote in New York, using her parents residency. The rising media star quickly booked a last minute plane ticket to come home and vote for Olivia. 

When Olivia won that election they’d spent the night together, celebrating. It wasn't long before Olivia's political duties began taking her to California. Sometimes they met up to be together. Sometimes it was too painful for both of them, knowing they couldn't stay together, so they would avoid each other, making excuses. 

Olivia watched Cat go through four marriages and have two sons. She kept telling herself that she was over Cat. Cat was obviously over her. Olivia could never shake the loneliness that only Cat soothed. She never married, or had children. Olivia was always too afraid of what someone would think of her alien self.

But then, only five years ago, before Olivia was President, Cat was in Washington for an event. Olivia tried to resist her, but when Cat had lightly taken her hand that night, Olivia was a goner. Cat was the only person that could bring Olivia to her knees, both figuratively and very literally.

“She is very impressive,” Olivia finally said. Cat only nodded. Resting her hand on her best friend's, Olivia quietly told her, “If you fell in love, I'd be happy for you.” 

Cat bit her lip, turning her hand over to give Olivia's a squeeze. “Thank you, Liv. That means everything from you.” Then she sighed. “But I've been gone for a long time, and she… we never talked about it.”

“She's not over you. Trust me.”

The two women sat, each set of eyes wandering over the other affectionately, lost in their own thoughts. 

It wasn't too long before the moment was broken when one of the military advisors threw the door open and came in saying, “Madame President, were within range of the alien vessel.

Turning to look at Cat, Olivia released her hand and stood. If she was going to face down an invading enemy, there was certainly no one she would rather have beside her. 

Olivia tugged on her suit jacket, straightening it and smoothing her hands over the fabric. “Come with me?”

Cat nodded. “Of course.”


End file.
